Yan Bingxi
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
Micromachines (Basel). 2022 Oct 17;13(10):1756. doi: 10.3390/mi13101756.
The choice of actuators dictates how an implantable biomedical device moves. Specifically, the concept of implantable robots consists of the three pillars: actuators, sensors, and powering. Robotic devices that require active motion are driven by a biocompatible actuator. Depending on the actuating mechanism, different types of actuators vary remarkably in strain/stress output, frequency, power consumption, and durability. Most reviews to date focus on specific type of actuating mechanism (electric, photonic, electrothermal, etc.) for biomedical applications. With a rapidly expanding library of novel actuators, however, the granular boundaries between subcategories turns the selection of actuators a laborious task, which can be particularly time-consuming to those unfamiliar with actuation. To offer a broad view, this study (1) showcases the recent advances in various types of actuating technologies that can be potentially implemented in vivo, (2) outlines technical advantages and the limitations of each type, and (3) provides use-specific suggestions on actuator choice for applications such as drug delivery, cardiovascular, and endoscopy implants.
致动器的选择决定了可植入生物医学设备的运动方式。具体而言，可植入机器人的概念由三个支柱组成：致动器、传感器和动力供应。需要主动运动的机器人设备由生物相容性致动器驱动。根据致动机制的不同，不同类型的致动器在应变/应力输出、频率、功耗和耐用性方面有显著差异。迄今为止，大多数综述都集中在生物医学应用的特定类型致动机制（电动、光子、电热等）上。然而，随着新型致动器库的迅速扩大，子类别之间的细微界限使得致动器的选择成为一项艰巨的任务，对于那些不熟悉致动的人来说可能特别耗时。为了提供一个全面的视角，本研究（1）展示了各种类型的致动技术的最新进展，这些技术有可能在体内实现；（2）概述了每种类型的技术优势和局限性；（3）针对药物输送、心血管和内窥镜植入等应用，提供了关于致动器选择的特定用途建议。
